Achieving True Independence Part II

In my last article we addressed the following points; (Part I), How to grow your food, (Part II) How to store your food, (Part III) How to locate your refuge, (Part IV) How to build your refuge. Now, as we move into Parts V-VII we will get into some controversial material. Some of you will probably get mad and stop reading at some point, some will get mad and never read another thing I write, some will say “Big Deal” and a few might even say thanks. No matter how you feel please remember this, I have seen numerous countries fall. I saw what everyday ordinary citizens did to survive when they were caught unprepared and I have even seen what a mother will do to her newborn child in order to insure her own survival. No matter how much you disagree with what I will say, I say it because I have seen it. If it has happened 4 times in four separate countries it can and will happen again. When and where is what we have to prepare for. Ready? Here we go.

Part V
What to stock in your refuge

A year supply of food that will last 25-30 years.

Early settlers and pioneers on the American Continent had two lists. The first was: God, gold, guns and guts (some read gumption). The second list of our ancestors was: Bibles, bullets, beans and bacon. Let’s take a minute and break it down.

God and the Bible both represent one thing; faith. Faith in something greater than yourself, faith in your Creator, the Creator of the Universe. Faith is a two-edged sword. You have to have faith in God and you also have to have faith in your God-given talents.

Notice the next similarity; guns-to-bullets. The primary reason “to keep and bear arms” was added to the Constitution was and is to keep the government under control. Not long ago I asked my nephew if he was investing in precious metals and he responded, “yes, sir, I’m investing in lead and brass everyday.” I hope you take this to heart. If you can’t defend yourself, your family, your treasure from evil people, be they murdering, thieving packs of low lives or government goons or both, you are not truly free. Get guns, ammunition and learn to use them. More on that later.

The “guts and gumption” do not have an equivalent in the second list but I tend to think they stand on their own. It takes guts to go against the mindless masses, set aside part of your meager savings and purchase things that will cause your friends and family to ridicule you. The gumption is the motivational force that compels you to do it even when others make fun of you.

From the second list are “beans and bacon”. The early settlers traveled from the Atlantic shore to the Pacific coast with these two staples. With today’s technology you can purchased some of the finest food (nutritionally) that has ever been available to mankind. You must have a year’s supply of food for each member of your family put aside in order to feed them through a total economic collapse. In a year’s time you should be able to begin growing and preserving your own food. (Beans and bacon still work as good as ever).

Now, let’s get specific:
Water: You must have access to adequate and clean water. About 1 gallon per person per day for basic survival purposes. Bathing and washing are extra. I recommend you research your refuge area for reputable water well drillers, unless of course your refuge has unlimited water by being on a fresh water lake, river, creek or stream. Almost any water can be filtered and I recommend two filters. The Berkey Water filter ( www.bigberkey.com ) and the Katadyn filter ( www.katadyn.com ). As I said in Preserving the Harvest, buy the best tools that you can afford at the time. And, if you take care of your tools they will always take care of you. Water storage containers should be of clear plastic and hard, not the soft milk jugs. (I let my grandson drink all the soda and reuse the 2 liter soda bottles as water bottles.)

Food: is a need, just like water, but you will not need it as often, in the beginning. As a part of my faith in God, I have embarked on fasts that have lasted as long as 40 days. Hunger pangs set in almost immediately and by the third or fourth day are gone. You will not feel hungry again, if you drink only pure water, no tea, no alcohol, no soda and no coffee, until the thirtieth day or even the fortieth day. When you feel hungry again starvation will begin if you don’t begin eating soon. This should not be a survival strategy, however. Start with a 30-day supply of food for each person in your family. Then increase it to 3-months supply, then 6-months supply and then finally one year supply of food for each person in your family or group (remember this is the minimum safe level.) There are many storable food suppliers out there. I can only recommend those that I know and trust. That does not mean the others are not good or trustworthy, it just means that I have not done business with them, yet. ( www.usaemergencysupply.com ), ( www.augasonfarms.com ), ( www.shelfreliance.com ), ( www.efoodsdirect.com ), ( www.readyreserve.com ) also go to ( www.samsclub.com and ( www.costco.com ). Look under the grocery section of both Sams Club and Costco under the category of emergency foods/kits. They have some of the same suppliers but at greatly reduced prices with little or no shipping costs. If you are not a member, purchase the membership before you order and you will save more than the price of your membership on the first large order. ((Caution: I love the food and prices from Augason Farms but their customer service stinks. If you want to order from them, go through Sam’s Club and use their billion-dollar leverage to get your order straight if you need to. They are worth it.)) Also, if you do your own storage as I do, I highly recommend USAEmergency. They are top notch. I have never had a problem with them or their customer service and their cost per calorie ratio is the best in the business. Here is a bonus site and please check it out ( www.bulkfoods.com) These folks specialize in the “spice of life” including candy, chocolate, spices and nuts/butters and honey. They are super quick, the more you buy the more you save and very, I mean very good chocolate, very good.

Shelter: is the next category on your immediate needs list. Shelter will also include clothing. I told you in the last installment the basics of locating a “refuge”. You must put aside clothing, at that refuge for the climate of that area. To stockpile Bermuda shorts and bikinis at 10,000’ altitude in Colorado is foolishness and I only mention it as an example. Since my refuge is located at 7,500’ I have a lot of down (goose and polyfil) clothes as well as wool clothing. You must adjust your needs to your climate. Don’t forget for all you young and fertile pilgrims that have to plan on having a family, clothing includes diapers. NO! Not Huggies! I am talking real cloth diapers. You will save tons of money over the disposable ones (I love saving money) and the logistics of disposable diapers is unbelievable. (Imagine trying to find room enough to store one, two or three years supply of Pampers. ‘Nuff said.)

Guns and ammunition. I place all weapons into three categories; NATO, non-NATO and sporting. NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has standardized military calibers from 5.56mm (.223 caliber) to .50 caliber (the largest caliber legal for private use). These weapons, and their ammunition, can be purchased as military surplus with a cost savings in both weapons and ammunition. Also, it will be the same calibers the “bad” guys will use, and when necessary, (all hell breaks loose) you can take and use their guns and ammunition when they come to take your food. Which calibers? (5.56, 7.62 x 51 same as .308 Winchester, 9mm, .50BMG) Non-NATO are those calibers that have not been standardized, no longer standardized or were the standards of the Soviet Pact nations. Some of these may still be available as military surplus. Why is military surplus important? Because after governments no longer need certain “lots” of ammunition they sell them for their scrap value and can be purchased at a discount. What calibers are these? (.45 cal ACP, 30-06, .303 British, .30 cal M-1, 7.62 x 39, 7.62 x 54R) The sporting calibers vary widely. The most usable of these has to be the .22LR, or Long Rifle. I have taken many types of small game with this caliber and they are very accurate right from the box. Master this one first and you cannot go wrong. Pistols like the .41 Magnum and rifles like the .300 Savage and .35 Whelen are excellent weapons but unless you reload all your own ammunition they are not practical. You can’t find ammunition for them now in the good times, you sure won’t be able to find them in tough times. The same with the 16-guage shotgun. Ammunition is almost impossible to find. Great guns but without ammunition you might as well point your finger and yell bang. Shotguns should be limited to 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410 “gauge” (actually it is a bore). These are more common and can be used in several scenarios, including hunting and self defense. ((Please forgive me, I love the .50AE, .44Mag, .357Mag, and the .45Long Colt. I have enough components to reload many thousands of each but walk into Wal-Mart or anybody else and try to buy them over the counter in volume. It is hard to do. The examples I give are for the ease of use and availability, not firepower superiority.))

Gold and silver coins, bullion rounds and bars. All I can say is own them. One is as safe as the other in my opinion. I like U.S. silver coins and Swiss gold Francs. Personal preference, that’s all. There is a lot of “talk” going around about confiscation. I don’t believe it. About 1% of the U.S. population collects gold or silver. It would cost a fortune to try to locate and confiscate a few billion dollars worth of gold or silver. Gun confiscation will come first and that is what you should worry about. The government may make buying gold or silver illegal but the manpower necessary to go door-to-door to find the 3 million people collecting gold and silver would be phenominal. On the other hand there are about 100 million gun owners in America. Unless the reports of an agreement between the US and China to use Chinese troops to pick up weapons in America are true the government would quickly lose the war of attrition.

Fuel oils/petroleum products. You will need to store enough fuel for your vehicle(s) to carry you to your refuge, In times of a crisis, gas, diesel and oil may not be available at any price. Calculate your total distance to your refuge divided by your actual MPG of each vehicle you are taking and that is how much you need to carry with you. Get the old fashioned metal fuel cans not the newer plastic ones. I know, it sounds like overkill but do you want to risk your family and friends lives by having to walk 500 miles. Buy it, store, and rotate it. Here is a rule of thumb, the more highly refined the fuel the shorter its lifespan. No matter what you buy add a fuel preservative to it. Also, if anyone is considering purchasing a car, truck or tractor think diesel. I often use old hydraulic fluid and cooking oil that I get from restaurants to run both my diesel truck and diesel tractor. Remember that in an emergency, any oil will run a diesel. You will need cooking oil anyway for cooking. It may save your life.

Cooking and Lighting. In an emergency situation Coleman stoves are very adequate but not a permanent solution. (read all instructions BEFORE you use them). Personally I prefer my woodstove (pictured below, on the left beneath the map) but regardless you will need to stockpile Coleman fuel and/or wood. For emergency lighting you cannot beat an old fashioned Alladin lamp. It puts out the same amount of light as a 60watt bulb. They are pricey but worth it. Buy extra mantles at the same time. I heartily recommend Lehman’s Hardware www.lehmans.com ) and the Cumberland General Store www.cumberlandgeneral.com. Both of these stores are treasure troves of living off the grid appliances, tools and necessities. Don’t forget candles and flashlights.

Generators: Solar panels are the best for my area, which has the highest amount of sunlight per day average. Also, if you don’t want people dropping by when you are trying to live low key then you are going to have to muffle the sound of your gas or diesel generator. Wind generators are quiet and good, and I will make that my next large purchase, but the towers can be seen from a distance. Remember to refer back to number 6 if you purchase diesel or gas generators and stockpile fuel. I have two 7000 watt gas generators and will have 20KW PTO generator that attaches to my 50HP diesel tractor very soon.

Medicines, vitamins and supplements. It would be terrible to find the perfect refuge, drill the perfect well, buy 7 years of food for your family and then die of a stroke because you ran out of blood pressure medicine or oral diabetic medicine. If you have any special needs medications buy them in quantity. There are hundreds of sites on the internet where you can buy in quantity. Vitamins and supplements are extremely important because your body consumes large amounts of the B vitamins in a stressful situation. Low intake of vitamin B can cause problems that will affect you in many ways including cutting your reaction times down. It will also make you more irritable and less able to cope with the stress. Most drugs and vitamins, even though it is not suggested, are good for 4 years past their expiration dates. But to be sure check with your doctor or medical provider. Also good to have under stress is Lysine and Vitamin C. Lysine can be found in raw milk but is destroyed at the 180 degree temperatures used in pasteurizing and homogenizing milk. It has been my observation that if you suffer from cold sores, when you first feel them forming in or on your mouth, immediately take 2000mg/day of Lysine. Most times the sores will not fully develop. Remember, the herpes virus, which causes cold sores, lives in the nerve ganglia and is release because of chemicals released during stressful times by the body. Be proactive, if you feel stressed take the Lysine early and the cold sores will be gone in one day, two at the most.

Miscellaneous necessities: Hand tools for repairing broken equipment, building your refuge or gardening (and don’t forget open pollinated seeds. I purchase several hundred dollars in seeds every year and the bulk of that is through Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds ( www.rareseeds.com ). I have done business with the Willhite Seed Company ( www.willhiteseed.com ) for over 40 years. Many of their seeds are still open pollinated and of the highest quality.

Hand operated kitchen appliances, i.e. egg beaters, grain grinders, meat grinders, can openers, whisks, colanders, food mills, potato mashers, etc.

Bow saws, cross cut saws, Pennsylvania saws, buck saws, hack saws, meat saws.

Hammers, nails, screws, screwdrivers, glue, epoxy, solder & propane torch, nuts and bolts and any other fasteners you can think of.
Lumber for building sheds, outbuildings, houses, cabins, shacks, shanties, lean-tos.

Chap stick/lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash, shampoo, bath soap, eye drops, nose spray, cough drops, Mucinex, Metholatum/Vick’s Salve, Noxema (great for sunburn), sun block. TIP:If you are an easterner or southerner and move to the desert southwest your nose will bleed for about three months. Apply Mentholatum or Vick’s a couple of times a day to keep the nasal passages moist. This will minimize bleeding.

Books, books, books: Books about survival, technical books ( www.lindsaybks.com ), books to escape the present situation, i.e. mystery, science fiction and romance novels. Also American History, Theology, comedy (I like all Patrick McManus and Erma Bombeck books). Any book that will increase your chances of survival and make life more bearable. (Brief note about Lindsay Books. This is a top notch provider of technical and survival type info. Lindsay doesn’t call his books survival but they are, i.e. cheese making, sausage making, making moonshine, planting a garden. Unless you are brain dead you will learn something from Lindsay Books.) The best online resource for books is not Amazon.com but rather www.abebooks.com. This is the best place and you can use them with complete confidence. I have purchased hundreds of books from the various online retailers and have never lost a cent. Amazon is anti small publishing houses and will omit books not offered by their “network”.

I recommend the following with a caveat. If a shooting war scenario breaks out because of a total collapse of society do not use make-up, cologne, perfume, scented soaps or shampoos and definitely no deodorant! When you go through combat you learn to use your sense of smell. The Vietnamese could smell us from a great distance because we ate too much beef. The last thing you want to do is give up your location because of Chanel No. 5 or Musk. On days when it is possible to relax and “dress up” in comparative safety, by all means use the above to make you feel a bit more “civilized”. Know the difference.

Entertainment: NO, not video games. Monopoly, RISK, checkers, chess, backgammon, Battleship (you get the idea). Card games like UNO, Mille Borne, Rook, spades, hearts, Old Maid. Take this time to get to really know your family and bond. Remember the old section in the Reader’s Digest; Laughter is the Best Medicine? Well, it is and don’t be afraid to show your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren how to have a good time ,TOGETHER. If we don’t do this for our families why do it?

Feminine hygiene articles. Tampons are okay but don’t forget about the old standard Kotex. They look and work the way they do because they were based on a standard issue battle bandage during the Korean War. Large cuts, bullet holes can all be stemmed with a Kotex and duct tape. Maxi-pads and duct tape work well too.

Needles, thread, thimbles, buttons, fabric, zippers and fabric patches to make repairs or to turn out new clothing. In the 50’s and 60’s (and before) it was the norm, not the exception. Grain sacks, flour sacks, rice sacks and the like were recycled into usable clothing. (To survive the Second Great Depression learn from those who survived the First Great Depression.).

Kitchen items such as aluminum foil (regular and heavy duty), coffee filters (and coffee) trash bags (they make great rain coats in an emergency), rubber gloves, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent (and a washboard or mop bucket with a wringer), matches (Strikes Anywhere are the best), clothes pins and clothes line, scissors, fire extinguishers for the stove/s and baking soda in the large box for each room in the house to be used as a fire extinguisher. Vinegar for pickling and also brushing your teeth and definitely stockpile hundreds of pounds of salt. After a shortage of salt you will move at a snail’s pace.

Batteries to match all you flashlights, radios (shortwave/AM/FM). Look into rechargeable batteries and use a battery charger than works on solar power or get an inverter and run one from solar cells or just by cranking your vehicle.

Tips: In a tactical situation you must think ahead. Disconnect the positive battery cable of any vehicle not in use. Modern cars and trucks have on board computers that will drain the life of a battery in just a few weeks. These computers, while they have power, can be read by reconnaissance aircraft. The same is true of cell phones. Run the battery of your cell phone down until is dead and then remove the battery from the phone. As of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (also called the 911 Act) all cell phones have on board GPS’s so that the 911 people can locate you in an emergency. If the government goes crazy, or crazier, the last thing you want is for them to locate you.

Get a copy of Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles. This is a novel but it is as real as it gets and as if taken from today’s headlines. It is a practical guide. Also, I highly recommend Unintended Consequences by John Ross. It is long, but very entertaining and may become an indispensable guide in the future. Also, get a copy of How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years by Howard J. Ruff. Get them at a used bookstore for one Federal Reserve Note or less. Mr. Ruff has been preaching this same message for over 30 years and is an expert in my opinion.

No, this is not an all inclusive list. I said an almost all inclusive list. These are basics. Many more items will be dictated by your particular needs, likes, dislikes, location of your refuge, climate and prejudices. This will give you, in conjunction with my previous articles, a good strong starting point. Remember, the human mind is the finest weapon and fastest computer on the face of the earth. It has to be kept sharp and ready at all times. And here is a piece of advice I learned from a talented man and I pass it on for free. In a gunfight, there is no second place winner. The only medal you get for second place is a headstone!!!

Responses to questions I have been asked since publishing this list.

Q: What is the best rifle, handgun and shotgun for survival?

A. This is a tough question. I will give you my “prejudices” and the reasons why. I prefer a good battle rifle squad weapon (7.62 NATO cartridge). These are the M1A1 (Springfield Armory at www.springfield-armory.com ), FAL (STG58) (DS Arms at www.DSArms.com) and the

The DSA STG58. It is battle proven.PTR91 (PTR91 Inc. at http://www.PTR91.com). NOTE: I cannot endorse any other manufacturer of these weapons. I have known many folks who have purchased CETME’s and FAL’s from CAI (Century Arms Inc.) and have cussed them royally (both rifle and company). This is just my observation but you have been forewarned. ((NOTE)) PTR91 and DSA do not use reverse engineering to produce their weapons. They have the original blueprints and sometimes even the original dies. Springfield Armory is the original in my view so when you buy weapons from these three you buy the best. A buddy of mine once said “Even God Himself has an M1 (M1A1 not the carbine).PTR-91 a great rifle in 7.62x51mm.

The PTR91 battle rifle

M1A1 an excellent rifle in 7.62x51mm

Springfield Armory’s M1A1 Battle Rifle. It can be purchased in numerous different configurations and can even be custom made for your own needs or preferences.

 

 Many of my family members prefer AR-15’s and Ruger Mini-14’s,

Custom rifle with Duracoat finish in Rhodesian camo.

both in 5.56NATO. (Notice I did not say .308 Winchester or .223 Remington. There are minor differences between these cartridges and the NATO cartridges but it is not enough to keep them from functioning in the respective weapons. This is for your information. I am not trying to start a controvery, this is just experience from years of reloading my own ammunition). These rifles are ideal for people of smaller stature or shorter arm lengths. In a long range recon patrol configuation they work well where you live out of your pack for a few weeks to a month at a time, and need to carry more supplies for each man. I am not down on the AR-15/M-16’s. I just like the knock down power of the 7.62 x 51mm over the 5.56.

The 1911 .45ACP by Springfield Armory

My favorite handgun is Colt 1911 .45ACP. I have lots of pistols but in a firefight this is the one I want strapped on. My wife and sister prefer revolvers since they have difficulty pulling the slides back on most semi-automatics. They prefer .357Magnum and also shoot .38’s for target practice. My 90-year mother prefers a semi-automatic but a smaller caliber.

Best shotgun for me is the “original” Mossberg Model 500, not the cheaper Maverick look alike. Next, I will go with an 870 Remington.

Remington is not second rate, just my second choice.

Also, my grandfather gave me his Model 12 Winchester. It is too nice a gun for daily use but it is one of the best ever made. I own numerous others but these are the ones I carry most often. I also, quite often, carry a double barrel coach gun (18.25″ barrel length). These little guns have an intimidation factor a lot of guns don’t have. A lot of mean bad guys (muy malo hombres) have backed down when facing one. ((If you would like to read more about Ruth pictured below, or one of the other Chicks With Guns read Lindsay McCrum’s book with that title. Guys, if you want to feel real insignificant read about some of the women in this book. They will you embarass you with their shooting ability and their BIG GAME trophies.))

Meet Ruth. 85 years young and hunts everyday with her Model 12 Winchester. Want to try and take it from her?

Q: How much ammunition do you think is adequate?

A: I say 10,000 rounds per caliber is adequate for starters. If the scenario that develops is as long as the First Great Depression (10-12 years) there will be a lot of looting, raping, pillaging and murdering going on just for basic survival needs. Remember, the generations involved in the First Great Depression had a strong moral upbringing. Ninety percent of the population was rural and could grow their own food. Now, ninety percent or more live in metropolitan areas or suburbs. This is a dangerous mix. If you can’t walk the streets of your town or city now what will it be like when all rules are off except the law of survival? Be forewarned.

My buddy Wolf. Nice doggie.

Q: What about pets?
A: The only pets I see in a survival scenario are guard dogs(they are not really pets, they are working guard dogs). I’m talking about big, hairy, mean looking watch dogs with loud, deep barking voices. It is hard to feel intimidated facing a cat that meows and then raises its tail and licks itself. On the other hand, Wolf, pictured above, will get your attention or else. Horses are transportation or portage, not pets. The same with goats, sheep, llamas, camels, donkeys, etc. (Don’t forget, for centuries dogs on every continent have been used for portage, i.e. dogcarts, sled dogs and many breeds were even fitted with their own packs to carry items for their owners.) Unfortunately, any of the animals I just mentioned may one day be food. You never know. Whatever animals you keep make sure you can feed them for at least one year. Please note: If you live in a suburban environment and your refuge is 500 or more miles away the shock of the move, along with the change in forage and general diet as well as pests and parasites, will have the same effect on animals as it will humans. If you haul horses from a low altitude to a high altitude in a trailer in a matter of hours or just a few days, you must give them time to adjust to the altitude just like a person. To work a low land horse in the mountains immediately could kill it, just like it could you. Take the altitude seriously. I have suffered with altitude sickness on three separate occasions and the consequences can range from serious to fatal. I just lost a friend of the family, younger than myself and a third degree black belt in karate. He went from 600’ above sea level to 8,000’ above sea level. He went for his morning jog, went to take a shower and died of a heart attack. It is that serious!

Q: What is the best generator?

A: I know this sounds silly but the best one is the one you own and know how to use. Next, I prefer diesel to gas because I use more diesel than I do gas and diesel is easier to “produce or procure” than gasoline. Diesel stores longer with less break down than gasoline. Also, diesel engines are much more fuel economical than gasoline. Another favorite of mine is propane. It is easier to buy bulk, in many states without road taxes, it pollutes less and a 500 gallon propane tank is easier to explain than a similar sized gasoline storage tank. If you have a 35 horsepower (h.p.) tractor, or larger, look into purchasing a P.T.O. (power take off) driven generator. It is easy to find a 20 kw (kilowatt) P.T.O. generator for less than $2,000. Whether your generator uses gasoline, propane or a combination of both (the adaptors are easy to find and install) make sure you purchase a generator that is OHC (over head valve) as opposed to overhead cam. Overhead valve generators are much quieter than overhead cams and generally are thriftier on gas, as a general rule of thumb. Also, this is very important. Build a small enclosure for your generator and insulate it against NOISE. When everyone in the world loses electricity and they hear your generator you just became THE main target for looters. Remember, this includes using noisy power tools like circular saws, planers and any other thing that produces noise. ‘Nuff said?

Part VI
Defending Your Refuge

It is here I think we are about to get controversial. I am sure that some of my statements will offend some people and others won’t think twice about them. But please understand this, I have seen the governments collapse in 4 other nations and have witnessed the turmoil. A lot of the people I witnessed do horrendous things would have been considered polite, upper middle class or wealthy in their country and of a basically sound moral position. They killed each other, butchered each other and betrayed each other in order to save themselves.

Ah, but that wasn’t in America, you argue. That is true. But none of the four countries had anything like welfare, medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, WIC, unemployment or any of the other socialist programs that we have. And what do you think will happen when those programs can no longer be funded by a bankrupt nation. The GameBoy, WIFI, Wii generations will do whatever it takes to get the food and things that they want, whether they need them or not. Situational ethics has been taught in America’s schools for far too long. Many cities in America are already war zones in some areas. What do you think will happen when the freebies stop? Mayhem! Just look at the Rodney King Riots in L.A. Look what happened in the aftermath of Katrina. If you think you can hold out in the cities and suburbs of America, I wish you luck. The rest of this article will speak to those that realize America is in peril due to an economic collapse.

America has been the greatest nation in the known history of the world. It has fostered liberties that very few people have even imagined, much less enjoyed. But in December 1913, March of 1933 and again in November of 1963 our government was co-opted by a small but powerful group of people who would dare the unimaginable and get away with their crimes. Since that time our nation has quickly fallen into slavery. This slavery was much worse than any other in history and the movie The Matrix is the only thing that I can compare it to. There is only one way to free yourself from this insidious threat to our liberty. Wake up, open your eyes to what is going on in this country, in this world and even in your neighborhood.

All totalitarian governments have one thing in common and that is secret police to keep the people in line by using threats, bullying, arrest, imprisonment, forfeiture and yes, even death. I won’t go through all the examples that we should see daily in the news but our eyes are closed to the reality of the situation and all we see is what the government wants us to see. What the government does not want you see is how much they are tightening the noose around your neck.

Are you awake? Good! But just like Neo awakening on the Nebuchadnezzar your muscles (mental muscles) have atrophied from going unused for a long period of time, maybe your whole life. Now every new thought you have will hurt. You will experience numerous “Aha” or “Eureka” moments. You will slowly become aware that you are the mouse in the maze and you must get free. Hopefully, when you experience those moments you will find besides Don’t Tread on Me, others like SGTReport, Alex Jones, John Williams, Gerald Celente, Bob Chapman, Clay Douglas and others who have been ringing the bell in the dark trying to get people to wake up. Read and learn but learn fast. Your time is almost up. Some of us started preparing in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and yes, even as late as last year. We have taken the scraps left over from our paychecks and purchased food, shelter, water, gold and silver and yes, even guns and ammunition. Now it is your turn.

There are misguided people in this world, unfortunately I have met some of them, who believe their preparations for the collapse consists of guns, ammunition and a list of members of the Latter Day Saints’ (Mormon) local ward (congregation). Have I got a surprise for some of these folks. A lot of my Mormon friends have lots of food, water and other supplies put away, along with guns and ammunition. (Remember folks, these are the people that settled Utah when everyone else was afraid to leave St. Louis or Chicago. If you are one of these misguided people read about Porter Rockwell and be forewarned!)

You see, no matter what you think is going to happen as a result of economic collapse there are already people placing you and your family in their crosshairs. They are not going to work, sacrifice and prepare. They are already planning on how to take your food and supplies away from you. If you think that the outcome from economic collapse will somehow not be any worse than the Katrina fallout or the fallout from the Rodney King riots you are sadly mistaken. I could write for days and cite examples of what I have witnessed in other countries but if you don’t believe me and countless others now, why would you believe later?

Survival is a paradigm shift! Your brain has to make the transition from its government funded education, training, false morality, TV induced lethargy to having to view everything and everyone as a potential threat. It is okay to walk down the road to see the neighbor but you do it carrying your pack, handgun and at least a shotgun. The amazing thing is, where I have my refuge, that is the norm. If I showed up on their doorstep without it someone would ask if everything was alright. You have to break the training that everyone is really a nice person and they are just misunderstood.

Should you defend your refuge? If you don’t, why have one? Why did you take the time and pains of scrimping and saving to buy food and necessities to let someone walk in and take it all. In the mean time they will rape your wife, kids and once they are finished kill all of you and move on to the next victim. That is what you will be to them, victims. Like wolves staring at a herd of sheep selecting the next meal, they will look at you and yours deciding if you are the weakest sheep in the flock.

Force yourself to survive!

You must force yourself to survive, if not for youself, then for your children, grandchildren and others who depend on you. If we can’t insure our children’s and grandchildren’s survival, what good are we? We are the essence of all of our ancestors. They put all their hopes and dreams for a better life into our genetic makeup. If you fail to prepare now you will have broken 15,000 (or more) years of hopes and dreams. You owe it to your ancestors and your future generations to survive. Decide now because we have to discuss some hard topics. Ladies, please forgive what I am about to say. I come from not only another generation but another culture and I want to quote Malcolm X, “Our women are our future.”Men, you must protect and insure the safety of the women in your life. Be they your wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, whatever. It makes no difference if they are 99 hours old or 99 years old. Our women represent the future generations of our world. If we fail to protect them, why do we survive? Now, does that mean that they can’t stand next to you with their AR-15 against the thieves, thugs and brigands? Hell no! And quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to be the one to try and tell my wife, sister, mother or others that they couldn’t. Take my warning to heart, please.

Sell no woman short, or you may be!

No one can dissuade me of this following thought. Yes, our women perpetuate the human race by bearing the next generation. But this is not what I am referring to. My 90 year old mother, my 60+ sister, wife, cousins and other significant females, instruct, teach, encourage our young men and our young women to not only survive but to excel. I have a 7 year old great-nephew who not only rides a horse but also competes nationally as a barrel racer. Yes, his father loves horses but so does my mother, my niece. His mother encourages him to excel at barrel racing as much or more than his father. Our women will not only bear our generations, they will teach them, they will train them and they will defend them. My mother has instructed three generaions of our family. With any luck she will make it four. Sell no woman short, ever!!! If you do, you may wake up on the short end of the stick!

When to fight and when to flee? These are tough questions. If you are attacked and have advanced knowledge and are prepared for an attack, statistics show you will take out at least 4 of the bad guys for every one of you hit. That is not too bad but I don’t like being the one hit. You will want to think about using combat multipliers.

Combat multipliers are things, tactics or techniques that you can use to make one person fight as strongly as 4 or 5. One combat multiplier is to switch from bolt action rifles to semi-automatic rifles. A technique that can be used is to install fencing to slow an aggressor down and add tangle foot between your outer perimeter (your fence) and your refuge. Tangle foot can be barbed wire, razor ribbon or it can even be something like baling wire strung between T-post or trees at various angles and heights that will force the intruder to go over, around or beneath the tangle foot. This gives you more time to shoot more bad guys.

I’m sure you have all heard tales of “if you wound a person, his buddy will have to pull him out and take him to safety so now you face two less men.” WRONG! Kill the S.O.B.!!

Use whatever you have to kill the enemy!!

Shooting to wound worked well for the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and John Wayne.

I never met any of them in Southeast Asia or the Middle East so I don’t know how well they fared over there. Now, you have shot everyone, there is no shooting, all is quiet, here is what you must do. Put one or two more rounds into each “dead” guy, preferably head shots, and make sure he/she is dead. The body will move slightly because of the impact of the bullet, this is normal. There is nothing worse than to go out and count bodies, retrieve wounded or weapons and have a dead guy shoot you. It doesn’t sound chivalrous, but it is highly effective. I have never met a chivalrous VC, Pathet Lao or Khmer Rouge. Lose your TV mindset or lose your life. It really is that simple. Shoot a bullet unnecessarily and you lose fifty cents. Failure to shoot when you should have can cost you everything, including your life. Take the shot!

Now, here is a footnote to shooting “dead people. If the attackers drop back and wait for you to come out and check on things and they see you shooting the dead bodies they may think twice about waiting you out. Never, never, ever rush out to charge down the hill to run them off. They are out there, waiting for you to do something just that stupid. Never take an unnecessary risk. John Wayne and the cavalry, the U.S. Marines Corps nor anyone else will come to your aid at the last minute. Please watch the following video. It may save your life.

http://www.youtube.com/user/NewAmericaNow#p/u/23/DOo9bjLtL3Q

The ability to wait out your enemy is a God-given gift, in my opinion. After a gunfight or as we old farts called it, a firefight, your body is pumping huge amounts of adrenaline into your blood stream. You will have the shakes, you’ll be nervous, jittery, nauseous and you will feel a little paranoid. It is not uncommon that after a firefight you may even find out that you have been wounded and did not notice it during the heat of battle. Here is my list of the top ten things that the lull in a firefight should be used to do.

1.) Mount a lookout or multiple lookouts if you have more than one point of attack. Also, look and listen for the enemy moving into a flanking position. If you have an LP/OP (if not, why not?) then make sure the person stays low and quiet and looking for a counterattack or flanking maneuver. (LP/OP simply stands for Listening Post/Observation Post. It is used to listen by night and observe in the day time. They are usually camouflaged holes in the ground that have an excellent view of your homestead.) Also, you should contact your closest neighbors, friends and/or family and warn them that the enemy may be heading their way and to be prepared. Inform them of any troop numbers and vehicles that were noted during and after the fight.

2.) Attend to your wounded in your refuge, NOToutside. That will come later.

3.) Reload. Reload. Reload. Reload your weapon and begin reloading your empty and spare magazines.

4.) Relieve yourself. Don’t worry, there is nothing to be ashamed of but, you may have unconsciously relieved yourself during the firefight. Now is the time to empty your bladder, and bowels, if necessary. You may need to change clothes as well. It happens, accept it. It is just like a child who is having so much fun they forget to pee or a dog that gets excited and wets itself. This is just a nervous/muscular response. Don’t think I am being obscene, but I want to give you a little history, insight and advanced warning. Where ever armies have trod upon the earth there have been prostitutes. There is a very good reason for this. The very act of killing in order to stay alive is a very life affirming situation. Men and women, after having killed to survive or stay alive, feel an increased libido. It is natural that the human brain sends signals to the body to procreate as insurance for the perpetuation of the species. In other words “you will get horny”. Do not feel ashamed of this. It is only human to have these impulses. (The word hooker comes from the prostitutes who followed General “Fighting Joe” Hooker’s army around Washington D.C. during the Civil War.) NOTE:Please wait until the All Clear is given later to do anything about it, okay?

5.) If you have the luxury of owning two or more weapons of the same type, prepare the second weapon for combat and begin field stripping and cleaning the one you just used. This will keep your primary weapon from malfunctioning at a bad time, say, when your life depends on it. (Some people will say NO, don’t do this. I have some good reasons for saying it. (1) You already have another weapon that you are familiar with. (2) I have seen weapons jam because they were too fouled out to shoot. (3) Anyone not pulling a trigger in a firefight may as well be wounded or dead. (4) Cleaning the weapon will keep your mind occupied and that is good if you are not a lookout.

6.) Re-hydrate! Drink lots of water. Believe it or not you will get dehydrated during and after a firefight, even in cool or cold weather.

7.) Eat a snack. Your body consumes a lot of nutrition during a time of stress. Part of the shakiness that you will feel after a firefight will be because your body has consumed a lot of protein and sugars. Believe it or not, this is a good time for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Not too much sugar though. You can get a sugar rush that will make you feel disoriented or even drunk. If you drink a sugary liquid, i.e. Gatorade, soda, lemonade, then just eat peanut butter on crackers or bread. Also, you can have potted meat or Vienna sausages with crackers or bread. DON’T eat TOO much. Eating too much will cause you to be drowsy later and now is not the time to doze off (see number 9 below). Stay alert or as we used to say, stay frosty. Fire up a pot of coffee. That will help a little.

8.) You just endured an attack. You now know where your vulnerable points are. Begin now by fortifying the weak points. Use anything that can add bulk and stop a bullet so your body doesn’t stop one later. Some things to consider are firewood, furniture, appliances and just loose junk. Put more ballistic protection between you and the bad guys. I know some of you will think I am sick or gross or whatever the new expressions are but if you have any dead bodies lying around they make good ballistic material as well. I’m sorry, but it is the truth and they are dead. Stack ‘em up and don’t join them. Okay?

9.) Most firefights last from a few seconds to a minute or two tops. It will feel like hours have past afterwards. Your body will feel drained just a few minutes after a gunfight so, if you have enough people in your group, begin taking rest breaks. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can fall asleep. No break should be over two hours. This will cause you to wake feeling extremely drowsy maybe even disoriented. It is best to keep rest breaks down to one hour or less. Even a 30 minute break will help at this point.

10.) As soon as night falls, rotate your LP/OP watch, even if it is not the assigned time to rotate. (Always have an assigned watch schedule.) Your LP/OP person is experiencing the same thing alone, that everyone in the refuge is experiencing, but they don‘t have the luxury of relief. In a combat situation, unless, the LP/OP person has been shot in the attack, NEVER, NEVER send someone out to the LP/OP in daylight. You have just given away one of your secret weapons.

Scenario Number One: Okay, you have survived a firefight and your team is mostly alive and well. However, in the initial surprise attack you had one or two team members go down. It has been a few hours since the initial assault and during that time the downed members have not moved. Most likely they are dead. Do not sacrifice another person to go check. Or,

Scenario Number Two: After the initial attack you have two people outside your refuge wounded. What should you do? You wait as long as you can before anybody tries to rescue the wounded. Two people who do not go out of the refuge at this time, your tactical commander and your medical provider. You can not risk these two people. If the wounded are in the open with very little cover to use to get to them without drawing fire from the enemy, don’t! You don’t know how long you may be engaged with this enemy. If they are determined or desperate enough they may set up camp and rotate out on ambush/sniper/watch duty. You wait until dark, or when you can definitely state that the enemy has withdrawn from the battlefield. You MUST, I repeat, MUST treat this as a war because it is.It is a war of you against everyone else.

When retrieving wounded, one person scouts, takes up a defensive position behind good cover with plenty of water, some food, i.e. MRE’s, jerky, or granola bars (personally I like Survival Tabs, www.survivaltabs.com, plus extra water), and lots of ammunition. Once the scout gives the “clear” signal, then the person assigned to retrieve the wounded goes out under cover of all guns available. Once the wounded have been returned to the retreat, the scout returns to the retreat as well. However, the scout may be cut off from the retreat by a counter-attack or sniper fire. They will need the food, water and extra ammunition to make it through the day. They can then use the cover of darkness to return to the refuge.

Never step out onto what was a battlefield in numbers and never, ever bunch up. Maintain an interval between you and the next person at all times of at least 4-5 yards/meters. (See note below.)
((TIP:You should always keep lengths of rope at hand in your refuge and outside. There are a multitude of uses for the rope. If you can approach to within the length of the rope of the wounded without exposing yourself to enemy fire, toss the rope to your wounded comrade and drag them off the field of fire. It does work if the wounded are able to slip a loop of rope around their body.)) NOTE: Now that you know that you need rope you can use that rope to teach you how to maintain your interval. It is very important to keep a uniform distance between each person on patrol. For the first few weeks measure out enough rope to link each patrol member about 15 feet apart. Once this becomes ‘normal’ behavior you can leave the rope behind. It takes 21 days to form a habit, good or bad.

Okay, you have retrieved your wounded from the field and it appears that the enemy is not coming back what should you do? First, use your pre-arranged method of communicationswith your closest neighbors and warn them as soon as possible about the enemy. This should all have been arranged when times were good and not thought about after the heat of battle. It is too late to think about “Oh, my god, what about the Jones or what about the Smiths?” As I mentioned in the Part I of this article, you should get to know the neighbors and also try to use a common form of communication such a CB radio, family channel radio or EE-8, TA-312, TA-1 or similar, field phones if you have the wire to spare. Remember this, if you are using a CB or family channel radio the bad guys may have scanners or the same type of radio. So, do not give out your condition or troop strength or any other information that may benefit the bad guys.

Continue fortifying your position and 24 hours later begin to make reconnaissance patrols away from the refuge. (I know some of you vets will disagree with 24 hours. I also know that you non-vets will think I am being heartless when I say 24 hours. Just call it an unhappy medium.) You should make your patrols in a series of concentric circles and the distance of one circle from another will depend on your line of sight. Each circle may only be 50 to 100 meters from the last circle, or, in the case of my buddy in the Kansas wheat field it may be unnecessary because of his multiple miles of open level ground.

Each patrol should number at least two people, three is better, and if you have the bodies to spare, six is optimum. Each team member should have two-way communications with each other, the refuge and the LP/OP. Family Channel radios with headsets and VOX settings will do fine. Begin your patrol in full view of the refuge and LP/OP. Slowly, begin spiraling around your position and slowly increase the distance of each circle. Never go beyond your field of vision on your next circle. If you could view your movements from above it would look like water going down a drain but in reverse.

“ALL CLEAR”. Just about the two prettiest words you will ever hear after a firefight. Congratulations, you just kicked ass and survived. Get the hugging, kissing and crying over with. Now get everyone together while the battle is still fresh in your minds and think of where you made mistakes. How can you improve the ballistic value of your refuge? Can you slow down the enemy more? Do you need to add more LP/OP’s? Do you have RF video cameras that you can use to cover areas that were previously thought to be unimportant but now you know they are? How about booby traps? What about explosives? ((NOTE:)) The use of explosives in a survival situation where all society has broken down and the BATF is a memory…yes, use them. Otherwise you might be fighting the BATF. Uncle Sam has unlimited resources, at least in the minds of the bureaucrats. They will get you if you give them the time and the opportunity. Don’t!

After the battle you will want to bury the dead as quickly as possible to prevent disease. I once got sick because of a yeast that builds up on dead bodies. It was just by a stroke of luck that my doctor was an old M.A.S.H. doctor from the Korean War and knew what to do. Old timers used to call it blood poisoning of the blood. Otherwise, someone else would be here giving this advice, I hope. Either way it is deadly. Every man’s home is his castle is a saying that came out of the Victorian Age of Great Britain. And in my mind your refuge should have the defenses of a castle.

Part VII

Bugging Out

I think everyone realizes that there comes a time when you have to leave your home and maybe even your refuge. When that time comes I hope that you are familiar with my article Are You Going to be a Refugee or Evacuee?

Bugging out may be a foregone conclusion when the economy falls and society collapses. You may have to leave your home in the ‘burbs’ or city and bug out to your retreat. In this case you should be prepared NOW!

Just recently we were told that we may have to evacuate, due to wildfires here in Texas. Yeah, right. I gave the call to bug outand everyone set their packs by the door. The truck was turned around so that it would face out toward the road. All important papers, pictures, gold and silver, guns and ammunition were set within arms reach. All canned food and many gallons of bottled water were also placed near the door. Later, I stayed awake while the others slept. I slept during the day while they were up. We had already called ahead to give notice to friends and relatives that we may have to head their way on a minute’s notice. The fires were contained, the packs returned to their places in our rooms and everything returned to its proper place. We could have been loaded and gone with everything we needed in less than five minutes. ((We know this because we have done it before in drills and out of necessity.)) As it was, it took less than five minutes to prepare. Everyone around us was asking what they should take, where should they go, what about money, food and how can I get there? It could have been too late for many of them had the fires come our way.

Will you need to bug out? Do you live in an earthquake zone? Tornado alley? On the gulf coast? Areas prone to flooding? Wildfires? Then to answer the question, yes, you need to be ready to bug out. What does that mean? You need a Bug Out Bag! A G.F.O.O.D. (Get The F**k Out Of Dodge) Kit. A Get Out of Sh*t Quick Kit.

What should you pack? We are talking TEOTWAWKI so you will have a different set of needs than evacuating because of floods, fire, tornadoes, etc. When the feces hits the fan you are making no plans on returning. This is a one way Bug Out for all practical purposes. Keepsakes, pictures, copies of important papers (deeds, titles, wills, birth certificates) need to be pre-positioned to your refuge/retreat. Your bug-out bag should carry only what you need to survive the initial 72 hours before you reach your retreat. I recommend the following: 3 changes of clothes (pants, shirts, underwear, socks, 1 extra pair of boots/shoes), water and water purification (hopefully you will have purchased a Katadyn water filter but if not, then 5.25% sodium hydrochlorite, common unscented household bleach can be used as well as 2% tincture of iodine. (GET THE KATADYN. It is only $129.50 at most places. It can save your life and those of your family.) Three days of MRE’s, beef jerky, Survival Tabs, whatever you prefer, should be packed for each person. Bandaids, an Ace bandage or two, important medications, i.e. blood pressure pills, oral insulin, coumadin, lanoxin. You should have extra ammunition for your sidearm and main battle rifle. I believe in 50-100 rounds for your sidearm. I carry my extra ammo for my main rifle preloaded in magazines on my web belt or they can be stashed in my bag if need be. Also, you should carry your sleeping bag, ground sheet, and a tube tent or, in my case a dome tent. I prefer the dome tents that have hooks that attach to the ribs rather than those that must be threaded through a small pocket in the tent material itself. The ones with hooks take 30 seconds to one minute to set up in the dark the others take several minutes in the dark. NO! DO NOT USE THE FLASHLIGHT unless you have two layers of red or green filters in place over the lenses. Red is best. A flashlight in total darkness can be seen for miles. Practice setting up your camp on moonless nights with no lights.

I should not assume anything and I am sorry for doing so. ((My wife usually points out my glaring deficiencies when she proofreads.)) The reason I mentioned setting up your tent at night was because you should only travel at night. You start out in the dark and you end in the dark. There should be a minimum of talking and then only in hushed tones. (This is extremely difficult for me. I lost most of my hearing in the military and have to wear hearing aids. It is easier for me not to say anything than it is to speak softly. My night vision is very good however and I usually take point.) By the time it grows light in the sky you should be tucked in and sleeping. One person on guard duty at all times. This will be difficult if you have small children. Take your children camping in the backyard or at Grandma and Grandpa’s. There are numerous U.S. Forest Service campgounds around the country and you can camp in many of these for little or nothing per night, especially during the off season (usually from Labor Day to Memorial Day) when they are usually free. Make a game of who can be the quietest the longest. Don’t forget to award a prize to the winner and a little something for the loser as well. Teach your children the fun of hiking at a young age. My boys grew up fishing, hunting, hiking, and swimming, in fresh water and the ocean. Both boys enjoyed mountain climbing and camping and yours will too. I know you won’t believe this but my oldest son was swimming, in a pool, at three months of age. Today, the things he will do in the water are beyond my wildest dream.

Naturally, you should be wearing some type of camoflaged clothing. Getting shot, robbed, raped or killed is a helluva price to pay for looking stylish. Your paticular camouflage pattern should depend on your surroundings. Wearing Alpine white is not a good idea in south Louisiana. Conversely, wearing woodland pattern camo does not work well in snow. Your socks should be thick socks, preferably wool or cotton uppers with wool blend lowers to keep your feet dry. Remember what I said earlier, at this time you should not be; wearing any cologne, perfume, deodorant, hairspray, using menthol cough drops, no cigarettes of any kind (not only do they stink to non-smokers but the little light at the tip makes a great target in the dark. You will get hit in the face. “Nuff said.) This is how serious you need to take what I am telling you. A person who is attuned to living out of doors can smell the dryer sheets you put in the dryer with your clothes to reduce the static cling. When you stop for the night, wring out any wet clothes, especially socks, and let them dry overnight.

Follow all roads, railroad tracks and rivers at a distance. Lazy people will follow roads and trails and lazy people will get ambushed. When you walk, remember your intervals and carry rifles or shotguns at the ready (fingers just above the trigger along the receiver, stock under or near your shooting arm and barrel pointing toward the ground and the forearm firmly in the grasp of your off hand). Now, if you have never drawn your sidearm while carrying your worldly goods on your back you may have a surprise in store for yourself. It is hard to bend your elbow backwards with a bulging pack on your back. You may have to carry your sidearm in a crossdraw fashion until you can drop your pack. Practice this first to make sure. Some people with short arms have no problems. If you do have a problem invest in an ambidextrous holster rig. They are very inexpensive and readily available. The last thing you want to do is grab for you handgun and suddenly discover you cannot reach it without a great deal of discomfort or movement. Practice! Practice! Practice!

But wait a darn minute, I have a car! We’ll just crank up and drive 70 MPH until we get to our destination. Yes, but you may also run out of fuel, have multiple flats, have a mechanical breakdown, hit a deer or a hog or get ambushed. Prepare for every emergency that you can imagine. Prepare and practice and when an emergency comes along that you haven’t envisioned you will have disciplined yourself and family to be proactive not fearful and reactive.

The Fear Factor

Fear is a disease. Don't be a carrier!

I am sure that all of you have, at one time or another, has heard the famous “Fear” speech given by Franklin Roosevelt at the outset of the Great Depression in his first inaugural address . He said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This speech was written by a brilliant man by the name of Napoleon Hill. He was FDR’s speechwriter and a powerful positive thinker. He had no use for fear or any negative thought. Learn from his wisdom.

Fear is a disease.

It can be “caught” from a carrier, spread to another and can totally cripple a person mentally, emotionally and physically. Like any disease it can be treated and it can be cured or it can be allowed to totally ravage its host until the host literally dies from fear. It can turn a well mannered group of people into an unruly, mindless mob.

I am thoroughly convinced that most of the people in this nation are afraid. Afraid of what, you ask? It might be death, taxes, their husband/wife finding out about their girlfriend/boyfriend, bills, being broke, being homeless, being stranded on a lonely road. There are some people that I have found that are afraid of success, independence, freedom, the wide open spaces and some are afraid of anything. Maybe not everything, because they have not experienced “everything” yet, but anything they come across.

How does this affect you and your plans for survival during the 2^nd Great Depression? Very simple. Some of your friends and family may be in this category(fearful). If they are, they will try to belittle what you do, and if that doesn’t work, they will try to scare you out of your plans and your path toward independence.

Scenario One: You have just realized, whether by calling the Psychic Hotline, dreams, intuition or just plain common sense, that the economy of the United States is about to crash. You want to start making preparations and mention this to your *fill in the blank* . They immediately set about telling you how irrational YOUR fears are. Remember, that they will try to convince you that it is YOUR fears that are the problem. Isn’t America the greatest nation in the history of the world? Hasn’t the government always come to the aid of Americans? Haven’t they always solved all the problems? What could you do that the government can’t? Even if you are right, how can you change what is going to happen? Have you heard any of these and a thousand otherpermutations that are possible? This is the polite way of saying, “John Doe/Jane Doe, I love you but you are an idiot.” Why are they acting this way? Do they really love you? Yes, they probably, in all good faith, love you.

This is sometimes called rationalization, an attempt to bring the situation back to normal on their part. I call it fear. First, you are the person with the problem, not them. No matter how much logic you use, their fears will defeat any and all logic. My response is, save your breath. You have very little time left to prepare and if you are just now realizing that we have a problem, not only in this country but globally, you will need all you strength, focus and energy. Becoming stressed out over whether your friends or relatives “get it” will deprive you of time, concentration and strength. If you read the Bible, refer back to Genesis and read about Noah, the first prepper. He preached for 120 years and he didn’t not change the mind of a single person. Disaster came and they all died. End of story.

The Bible tells us about Noah, the first PREPPER!

If you begin exhibiting irrational behavior like selling golf clubs, ski boats, SkeeDoos, an extra car, real estate or cashing out your 401(k) to buy gold, silver, guns, ammunition or storable food, it is quite possible your family/friends will ostracize you from the local social whirl, church, synagogue, etc. You might as well get used to it.

When I went through my survival schools after boot camp in the very early ‘70’s the T.I.’s yelled, screamed, cursed. They ran you all night, through the Phillipine swamps, until you couldn’t see straight. They deprived you of sleep night after night with explosions and live gunfire. All this was done so that when the Shi’ite finally Hit The Fan you would know how to keep your head in a tough situation.

We were told that just before a battle the VC and North Vietnamese regulars would build their own coffins so that they would not have to worry, another type of fear, about how they were going to be buried. It was already prepared for. That is the way you have to be with your preparations. Make the best preparations you can and move on.

How can you defeat fear? Don’t allow it into your vocabulary. It sounds silly to some of you but stop using the words “fear”, “scary”, “scared” “frightened” and “afraid” when referring to yourself or family. Begin addressing the root cause of your irrational fear. Why are you afraid of XYZ? Don’t know? Then go on, expose yourself to the source of your fear, conquer it and go on. You can’t make plans and be afraid too. Get it behind you and carry on with your preparations. In case you noticed, I used a lot of pictures of women with weapons, good. The sooner you become acclimated to seeing a woman with a weapon, and, the sooner you ladies get acclimated to carrying them, the better. If you are afraid of handling a weapon, that fear can be overcome. First address the root cause. Are you afraid of the noise? The recoil? Is the weight of the weapon intimidating? Afraid you’ll hurt someone? Each of these can be overcome without spending years on a psychiatrist’s couch.

An exercise to conquer fear is like any other exercise you would undertake. Start out small and work your way up. Afraid of the noise? Start with a BB gun or pellet rifle. Shoot it everyday. Don’t forget to wear your hearing protection. If you start at this stage you won’t forget later. Graduate from a BB gun to a .22 caliber rifle. Use subsonic ammunition at first, like Aquila Brand. then graduate to regular .22 Long Rifle (LR). Then, move up gradually, shooting everyday. I used to tell my range classes that you should make shooting like sex. It should be the first thing you think about in the morning and you should spend the rest of the day anticipating doing it.((Here is a note: If you are shooting more often than having sex, stop shooting immediately and have more sex. This will remind you why you are fighting to survive. Okay?))

Why is all this talk of fear important you ask? Some of you are probably afraid of guns, afraid of hurting someone, afraid that maybe you haven’t done enough, afraid they will lose someone that you love. Loss is a natural part of life. It is very difficult to get through the loss of a loved one, especially a child. A parent dying is natural. The younger generation buries the older one. But for a parent to have to bury a child is against nature itself. When everything collapses the possibilities for loss will be numerous. You will lose your job, if you haven’t already. You will lose your home, again, if you haven’t already. But if you let fear control you, you will lose your health and even your sanity. You must toughen up your mind and yes, even your heart, a little. No matter what the loss, you cannot give in or give up. If you do, your loss will be for nothing. You must continue on.

One person without fear can change the world forever! Dare to be that person.